Though Frank Coonelly has been referred to as one of Major League Baseball's best-kept secrets, the impending news of his arrival in Pittsburgh couldn't be categorized the same. What had been hypothesized since Saturday became official on Thursday, when Pirates principal owner Bob Nutting named Coonelly president, taking the post of outgoing chief executive officer Kevin McClatchy.
"I'm extraordinarily thrilled to be leading the Pittsburgh Pirates," Coonelly said alongside Nutting in a two-on-one interview with MLB.com at PNC Park on Thursday. "I think it is the absolute ideal for me, personally and professionally. First of all, Pittsburgh is a terrific sports city, from the perspective of the history of the baseball team and from the perspective of such a loyal fan base that is dying for a winner.
"And it's an ideal opportunity for me, as well, because there is a commitment to me from Bob to give me the resources that this franchise needs in order to win. We're going to make this work. We're going to build a franchise that is a consistent, competitive team and that will win."
Nutting's introduction of Coonelly (pronounced Coon-lee) put an end to a two-month search for a replacement for McClatchy, who earlier in the summer announced his decision to step down at the end of the season.
"I'm extremely pleased with the whole process of this," Nutting said. "Frank's the first piece as we make that step continuing on to the transition process to restore the pride among these fans. I think we have the man in place to create a culture of success driving forward."
Coonelly, 47, has been working with Major League Baseball since 1998, when he joined the Commissioner's Office as the league's chief labor counsel. As a result, Coonelly's understanding of the business of baseball and its financial undertows may be unmatched. His hiring also reflects a successful conclusion to Nutting's search to find a baseball-minded executive who is familiar with both the business and the sport.
Coonelly, who was named the 12th most powerful man in baseball by USA Today earlier in the spring, fits that bill as well as anyone.
"There are so many things that intrigued me about Frank -- his ability as a leader and his being competent as an executive," Nutting said. "Also, his expertise in understanding what other models worked for other clubs and his expertise in studying those models, he can put them in practice here in Pittsburgh."
Serving as senior vice president and general counsel for the Commissioner, Coonelly's responsibilities over the past nine years have been numerous. He has represented MLB in collective bargaining agreements, evaluating player values and counseling teams during arbitration. As a result, he has worked side-by-side with every team in the league.
Though Coonelly's past job pit him against various players in grievance and arbitration cases, Coonelly isn't concerned about that adversely affecting his relationship moving forward with the players on the Pittsburgh club.
"What's important is that when I dealt with the union, it certainly was not an adverse relationship," Coonelly said. "Certainly, at times, we clash in terms of a particular grievance or arbitration, but I'm very proud of the fact that being in the labor relations department of the Commissioner's Office over the last 10 years, we have developed a very solid relationship with the Players Association."
Coonelly's track record actually shows that during his tenure in the Commissioner's Office, the rapport between the league and the Players Association improved, evidenced by the fact that the two sides avoided a lockout or strike in 2002 and again in 2006.
The only player on the current Pirates club to ever sit across from Coonelly in an arbitration case is shortstop Jack Wilson, who went to arbitration against the Pirates back in February 2004. Coonelly advised the Pirates during the case, though Wilson became the first Pittsburgh player in 12 years to win an arbitration case when he was awarded the $1.85 million he sought.
"He prevailed in his arbitration case," Coonelly said, smiling. "So he has a very fine memory of me."
Coonelly has also been instrumental in coordinating numerous other financial matters, including the recommendation of "slot" money for Draft picks.
Before joining the Commissioner's Office, Coonelly worked in the law offices of Morgan Lewis & Bockius as an attorney, where he was often involved in representing MLB and specific clubs as outside counsel.
A graduate of Penn State University, Coonelly currently makes his home outside of Philadelphia and is a Phillies season-ticket holder, though he did admit that he'll be giving up those Phillies season tickets soon. And as he moves forward, Coonelly is eager to restore a sense of pride in the Pirates franchise.
"Once we begin to win -- and we will -- you will be amazed at how the fans return to Pittsburgh," Coonelly said. "You can't underestimate the loyal fan base that Pittsburgh has that a lot of cities do not have. It's a great sports town."

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